Op note: UNISON ambulance workers strike for the third time over pay and staffing

(For operational use only, not for publication or broadcast)

When: Monday 23 January 2023, various times
Where: Five ambulance services in England, two hospital trusts in Liverpool
Who: Ambulance and health workers

Ambulance staff working for five services in England – London, Yorkshire, the North West, North East and South West – and two Liverpool hospital trusts will be taking part in further industrial action on Monday over NHS pay and staffing.

Paramedics, emergency care assistants, ambulance technicians, other 999 crew members, control room staff, along with healthcare assistants, porters, nurses, midwives, cleaners and midwives will be on picket lines at various times during the day.

The Liverpool locations where strikes will take place are the Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the city’s Heart and Chest Hospital.

UNISON head of health Sara Gorton will be visiting ambulance picket lines in Yorkshire, deputy head of health Helga Pile and UNISON’s national ambulance lead Sharan Bandesha will be in London.

This will be the third time ambulance staff have walked out during the current dispute and the second round of strikes at the two hospital trusts.

Key UNISON picket lines include (main pickets with spokespeople highlighted in bold):

London
Waterloo (11.00 to 23:00) 220 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8SD
Docklands (11.00 to 17.00) Docklands Emergency Operations Centre, Newham Dockside, 1,000 Dockside Road, London E16 2QU
Deptford (11:00 to 23:00) 1 New Cross Road, London SE14 5DS

North West
Liverpool Royal (07:30 to 19:30) Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Prescot Street, Liverpool L7 8XP
Liverpool Aintree (07:30 to 19:30) Aintree Hospital, Lower Lane, Liverpool L9 7AL
Liverpool Heart (07:00 to 19:00) Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (located at Broadgreen Hospital), Thomas Drive L14 3PE
Eccles (11:00 to 23:00) Eccles Ambulance Station, 130 Barton Lane, Eccles, Manchester M30 0FG
Liverpool (11:00 to 23:00) Huyton Ambulance Station, Huyton Lane, Huyton, Liverpool L36 7XG
Blackpool (11:00 to 23:00) Blackpool: Blackpool Ambulance Station, Devonshire Road, Blackpool FY3 8AY (temporary hub in an old hospital)
Wigan (11:00 to 23:00) Wigan Ambulance Station, Robin Park Road, Wigan WN5 0UU

Yorkshire
Sheffield (10.00 to 22.00) Longley Ambulance Station, 9 Crowder Road, Sheffield S5 7PJ 
Hull (10.00 to 22.00) Sutton Fields Ambulance Station, Copenhagen Way, Hull HU7 0XY
York (10.00 to 22.00) York Ambulance Station, Turner Close, Hemsworth YO31 9FD
Leeds (10.00 to 22.00) Leeds Ambulance Station, Flax Place, Leeds LS9 8HF

North East
Gateshead (07.00 to 19.00) Gateshead Ambulance Station, Old Durham Road, Gateshead NE9 6SF
Ashington (08:30 to 15:00) Ashington Ambulance Station, Armstrong Way, North Seaton Industrial Estate, Ashington NE63 0YB
Coulby Newham (08:30 to 15:00) Coulby Newham Ambulance Station, Ridgeway, Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough TS8 0TQ
Blucher (08:30 to 15:00) Blucher Ambulance Station, 6 Hawthorn Terrace, Blucher, Newcastle NE15 8JQ
Chester-le-Street (08:30 to 15:00) Chester-le-Street Ambulance Station, Front Street, Chester-le-Street DH3 3AT

South West
Bristol (07:00 to 19:00) Croydon St, Easton, Bristol BS5 0DA
Exeter (07:00 to 19:00) Dakota Way, Skypark, Clyst Honiton, Exeter EX5 2FL
Gloucester (07:00 to 19:00) Commerce Road, Staverton, Gloucester GL2 9QJ
Bridgwater (07:00 to 19:00) Woodlands Court, Bridgwater TA6 4FT
Taunton (07:00 to 19:00) Lisieux Way, Taunton TA1 2LB
Barnstaple (07:00 to 19:00) Lauder Lane, Roundswell Business Park, Barnstaple EX31 3TA
Bournemouth (07:00 to 19:00) 38 Portchester Road, Bournemouth BH8 8JY
Redruth: (07:00 to 19:00) Cambourne and Redruth Community Hospital, Barncoose Terrace, Redruth TR15 3ER

Notes to editors:
– UNISON spokespeople will be available for interview: head of health Sara Gorton (Yorkshire); deputy head of health Helga Pile, ambulance lead Sharan Bandesha (London); national officer Alan Lofthouse and assistant general secretary Jon Richards (South West).
– To be put in touch with a striking ambulance worker, please speak to either the national media team or to one of our regional colleagues.
– Ambulance workers belonging to Unite are also taking action in the West Midlands, North West, North East, East Midlands and Wales today, as is the GMB in the West Midlands.
– UNISON balloted 20,000 workers across the five ambulance services and two hospital trusts.
– UNISON is re-balloting ambulance workers at five ambulance services in England (South East Coast, South Central, East of England, West Midlands and East Midlands) and the Welsh Ambulance Service. This began on Friday 6 January and continues until Monday 16 February. Also being re-balloted are UNISON members working at NHS Blood and Transplant, London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool Women’s Hospital and the North West-based Bridgewater Community Trust.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union and the largest union in the NHS and in the ambulance sector, with more than 1.3 million members providing public services – in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.

Media contacts:
National and London: Liz Chinchen M: 07778 158175 E: press@unison.co.uk
Anthony Barnes M: 07834 864794 E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk
Fatima Ayad M: 07508 080383 E: f.ayad@unison.co.uk
London: Emma Davey M: 07432 733187 E: e.davey@unison.co.uk
North West: Sam Doherty M: 07432 549759 E: s.doherty@unison.co.uk
Yorkshire: Chris Birks M: 07870 407670 E: c.birks@unison.co.uk
North East: Paul Riley M: 07903 807641 E: p.riley@unison.co.uk
South West: Oliver Foster-Burnell M: 07432 150532 E: o.foster-burnell@unison.co.uk